Free Shipping Day for the 2013 holiday season will be taking place this week on Wednesday, December 18.
The annual event offers free shipping to customers in the U.S. with delivery guaranteed by Christmas Eve.
Close to 1,000 retailers are participating for 2013 and other discounts in addition to free shipping will be offered.
Companies large and small are participating with offerings in electronics, furniture, beauty, apparel, toys, outdoor gear, jewelry, appliances, food, and many more categories.
REI, Express, Bergdorf Goodman, Sports Authority, The North Face, Belk, Lord and Taylor, Guess, Le Creuset, Radio Shack, DermStore and JC Penney are some of the retailers on the list, to name a few.
Shipping offers and deals will be revealed on the Free Shipping Day site at midnight EST on Wednesday, December 18.
According to Free Shipping Day, shoppers can also “tweet their favorite stores to participate in Free Shipping Day using the link on the homepage.”
Some changes have taken place for the 2013 event.
Kendal Perez of Free Shipping Day says, “This year, stores must waive all minimum order requirements in order to participate in Free Shipping Day, in addition to guaranteeing delivery by Christmas Eve. This means shoppers can expect “real” free shipping on Wednesday, plus additional discounts from select retailers.”
Perez added, “Free Shipping Day is scheduled a day later than the cutoff time for standard shipping from UPS and FedEx, making it more valuable to consumers.”
Luke and Maisie Knowles of Colorado started the first Free Shipping Day in 2008. The idea was borne out of frustration with paying shipping fees for online purchases.
Each year since, more merchants have signed on and participation has grown. Their statistics show that, “In 2011, the lowest rate for shopping cart abandonment occurred on Free Shipping Day”.
The Free Shipping site offers coupon codes throughout the year and features other discounts in addition to shipping codes.
A list of stores participating in Free Shipping Day 2013 is available at http://www.freeshippingday.com/ with more stores and top deals being revealed on December 18 at midnight.